They were the product of Ducati's design chief Pierre Terblanche, who said the series started with the EvoluzioneMH900e replica of Mike Hailwood's victorious 1978 Isle of Man TT bike. The different variations are based on similar frames, and powered by the Desmodue 992 cc (60.5 in3) air-cooled 90° V-twin Ducati 1000 Dual Spark engine, also called the DS9 engine.

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The Sport1000 took its inspiration from the 1973 Ducati 750 Sport and related 750 Imola Desmo, and had the look of a classic lightweight single-seat cafe racer. It used a two valve 1000DS motor with a 1,425 mm (56.1 in) wheelbase, trellis tube frame. The suspension used three way adjustable single Sachs rear shocks, and non-adjustable 43 mm Marzocchi front forks. The wheels were wire spoke large section alloy rims with tubed Pirelli Phantomtyres. Borrani were approached to supply the rims, but could not supply the volume, so Excel rims were used. The Sport1000 was available in black with a white stripe, red with a white strip, or amber with a black stripe.

The 2006 model, known as the monoposto (solo) had a well gusseted 60 mm section asymmetric swingarm and a single shock, with stacked mufflers on the right side, low clip-on handlebars, and a dry-clutch. In 2007, a variation was made to taller clip-on handlebars, a wet-clutch, and the GT1000's dual-shock swingarm with mufflers on both sides. This change created space for passenger footpegs and a removable rear seat cowl covering a pillion seat was added, prompting the name change to Sport1000 biposto (tandem).

In 2007, a Sport1000SE was also produced in a limited run of 100, available only in the US, which used the configuration of the 2006 model and a black and gold paint scheme reminiscent of the square-case 1980 Ducati 900SS. This paint scheme was inspired by a custom scheme done to a 2006 model by a US dealer.

The 2007 Ducati Sport1000S had the front suspension of the Sport1000, while adding a retro styled fairing like the Paul Smart. The model could be equipped with Ducati original accessory lower fairings to create a late 1960s or early 1970s race bike look. The 1000S followed the Sport1000's change to a dual-shock swing arm and wet clutch, though lower handlebars were required to fit under the fairing. 2007-2008 models were available only in red with a white stripe, while in 2009 the paint scheme was changed to black with a white stripe.

Paul Smart rode the 750 Imola Desmo competition bike to victory in 1972, and the 1974 750 SuperSport was based on that, tank and sidepanels painted silver, fairing painted green and silver with a green frame. The Giugiaro case 900 and 750 SuperSports had the blue and silver paint. The inspiration for Paul Smart LE is based on these bikes. It has multi adjustable Öhlins suspension front and rear, the fairing, steering damper, and a green frame to go with the silver and blue paint on the tank, lower clip-ons, fairing, and side covers. The Paul Smart was limited to 2000 examples worldwide

A red Ducati GT1000. A yellow Sport1000 is in the background, with a silver Paul Smart visible further back.

The Ducati GT1000 used a similar steel tubular trellis frame to the Paul Smart and the Sport1000, and the same Desmodue 992 cc (60.5 in3) engine. It was designed with comfort in mind and intended for sport-touring riders.[4] The frame differed from the Sport1000 in the addition of mounting points for twin shocks and side panels. The GT1000 had touring handlebars, mounted on the same front forks as the Sport has clip-ons: non-adjustable 43 mm Marzocchi upside-down forks.

While the rear end had the seventies appearance, the components were more modern. The rear suspension used twin Sachs shocks, adjustable for spring pre-load, mounted on a beefy 60 mm section swingarm. Wide Excel 17 inch chromed steel (36 spoke) rims are laced with thick 4.4 mm spokes to silver painted aluminum alloy hubs, necessitating the use of tube-type tires.

The front brakes of the GT1000 were derived from the other SportClassic models, and had two Brembo floating calipers with 30 and 32 mm diameter thermally insulated pistons. They were semi-floating discs with a diameter of 320 mm and a thickness of 4 mm. The rear brake system consisted of a floating single piston Brembo 34 mm caliper with high friction sintered pads and a 245 mm disc (bigger rear disc for two-up riders).

It had twin exhausts and silencers, and pillion pegs where they belong for riding any distance. The silencers (exhausts) have more of a "Silentium" look and were not designed to resemble the original 'reverse cone' "Conti" silencers that were present on the original 1970s Ducatis that inspired the GT1000.

The GT 1000 Touring was a special edition model with chrome fenders, a small chrome luggage rack, a higher handlebar and a windscreen.[5]